Australia’s New Assistant Coaches: We Are Already Studying the Chinese Team, and the Result of This Match Is Crucial

Recently, the Australian national team welcomed three new assistant coaches – former international player Paul Okon, Hayden Foxe, and Frank Juric, all of whom expressed their expectations for the future.

Due to a poor start in the Asian qualifying round of 18 teams for the 2026 World Cup, Australia’s original head coach Graham Arnold announced his resignation, leading to the dissolution of his coaching staff. Subsequently, Tony Popovic took over as head coach and invited these three former teammates to join the coaching team.

Okon, now 52 years old, played for Serie A clubs Lazio and Fiorentina in the late 1990s. He has a clear understanding of the current state of the team: “Our team seems to lack experience. Since the World Cup in Qatar, the team has embarked on a new phase of rejuvenation, which is a logical step, but the results of the last two games have fallen far short of our expectations. Young players often come with certain uncertainties, and how to manage this uncertainty properly is the responsibility of the coaching team. Our task is to cultivate young players while striving for excellent results.”

Popovic, Okon, Foxe, and Juric are all former members of the Australian national team and have great chemistry among themselves. Okon believes that despite the tight schedule, their good communication will be a significant advantage for the team.

Foxe, 47 years old, played for Hiroshima Sanfrecce in Japan’s J1 League for two seasons. When asked if his and Popovic’s experiences in Japan would be helpful against the upcoming match with Japan, he said, “It certainly will be. I lived in Japan for two years and have a certain understanding of Japanese culture and the way people think. I know their psychological characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses. These are part of the culture and do not change with time. To summarize, the Japanese are very meticulous and disciplined. The life experiences of the head coach and me in Japan, along with our understanding of playing styles, will bring valuable information to the team. We must make full use of this knowledge.”

Juric, now 50 years old and a former Leverkusen player, serves as the goalkeeping coach. He emphasized that rebuilding the players’ confidence in the upcoming match against China is crucial: “Today is the first day of work for the new coaching team, but we have already started preparing for the match against China. At this stage, the most important thing is to reignite the team’s belief and confidence. Without confidence, nothing can be achieved. This is the most important thing right now.”

Foxe added, “Our top priority is to be fully prepared for the match against China. As long as we perform well, good results will naturally follow. My vision is to lead the team to participate in the World Cup. Although I did not achieve this dream as a player, it now inspires me as a coach, making me feel incredibly excited and thrilled. Looking ahead, we have two important matches to prepare for, the first against China, then against Japan.”

Okon stated, “For our coaching team, we are very familiar with each other, which is a significant advantage, meaning we don’t need extra time to adapt to each other and the tasks at hand. The next two matches are crucial, especially the one against China. In international football, particularly at this level, you usually don’t have much time to wait; you must see results quickly. Therefore, we will immediately get to work, identifying areas that need improvement. The primary task is to prepare for the match against China.”